McMillan and Worsham Families

My mother told me the other day that I should start looking into our McMillan and Worsham families again.  She had a dream, and someone in her dream told her that the research should be done.  So, I did.  I came up with a few new and interesting bits of information.

A refresher of how I am related to the McMillan and Worsham families:

Me

Virginia Marie Stalls (my mom)

James Paul Stalls, Jr (my granddaddy)

Minnie Virginia Richards (my g-grandmother)

Minnie DeMumbrie (my gg-grandmother)

Cornelia Ann McMillan (my ggg-grandmother)

Malcolm G McMillan and Minerva Worsham (my gggg-grandparents)

Little side note or refresher:  on the 1860 census in Tunica County, Mississippi, Minnie DeMumbrie is listed as C A M Demumbrie.  I think, as my aunt had mentioned on a forum a while back, that the initials stood for Cornelia Ann Minerva…which I guess is where the name Minnie came from.  Of course, that makes me wonder if by some chance Minnie Virginia’s full name was Cornelia Ann Minerva Virginia Richards.  Just a side thought.

Ok, so a few things I discovered:

1.  Minerva Worsham lived with the Richards family in Memphis.  I know that she appears on the census in 1870 living with Spencer DeMumbrie, her son-in-law, after her daughter (Spencer’s second wife) had apparently died.  Remember, though, that Effee Jane Gilchrist was also living with the family, and Spencer ended up marrying her in 1871.  After Spencer and Effee disappeared Minnie married Jerome E Richards.  In 1880  Minerva is living with Jerome and Minnie in Tunica County, Mississippi.  After 1880, until 1900, the only way I could track the Richards family was through the Memphis City Directory after they moved there.  Amazingly, I found Minerva in the directory, too, and her address in every instance was the same as Jerome and Minnie. 

1885 Dow: McMillan Minerva H., wid M.G., r ss Lucy av, 3d e of Rayburn av

 

1886 Dow: McMillan Minerva H, wid M, r Lucy av, se cor LaRose

 

1887 Dow: McMillan Minerva, wid M.G., r ss Lucy Ave, 1st e of La Rose

Finding this helped confirm that my research concerning Cornelia Ann’s parents was correct.  I actually was kind of worried that I may have tracked the wrong family, but since I was unable to find another Cornelia McMillan anywhere matching the information I had for mine I was keeping my fingers crossed.  To read what I had originally written about them you can refer to the post on them by clicking here.

I had also been unsure as to the correct spelling of McMillan, but I think I will stick with the “-an” as is found in the city directories.

So, Minerva Worsham McMillan lived in Memphis with her granddaughter Minnie DeMumbrie Richards.  This means that Minnie’s oldest sons, Jerome Jr, Claude and Bluford, actually knew and lived with their great-grandmother.  Which I find pretty awesome, especially considering that by the time Bluford was born Minerva would have been about 74 years of age, which was incredibly old back then.

Minerva would have died sometime between 1887 and 1889.  I can’t say for certain when, but she doesn’t appear in the 1888 city directory.  That isn’t surprising, though, because Jerome doesn’t appear in that directory either.  I went through the Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee) daily burial records searching for her name, but I couldn’t find it.  She either isn’t/wasn’t buried there, her name is faded or my eyes were tired.  I keep thinking that the possibility that she is in Elmwood is pretty high since in 1890 Jerome’s father was buried there.

2.  I might have found Malcolm G McMillan’s father.  I say I *might* have.  Malcolm and Minerva married in Maury County, Tennessee in 1831.  Based on the McMillan families living in the county at that time there is one in 1830 that was transcribed as “McMillon”.  The head of household is transcribed as “Archs”, but the “s” is actually a “d” making it a shorted form of Archibald.  So the head of household is Archibald McMillan.  But he would be Malcolm's brother, not father.  Listed in the household are:

Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29: 2

Free White Persons – Males – 50 thru 59: 1

Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19: 1

Free White Persons – Females – 50 thru 59: 1

Slaves – Males – Under 10: 2

Slaves – Males – 24 thru 35: 1

Slaves – Females – 24 thru 35: 1

Both of the Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29 are the correct age for Malcolm and Archibald.

When you look for Archibald in 1850 you find that even though he was listed as the head of household twenty years before, he actually was one of the Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29: 

Alex. McMillan-78-M-Farmer-NC

Sarah McMillan-75-F-NC

Archibald McMillan-45-M-Farmer-NC

Lovely Jane Agnes McMillan-36-F-Tenn

I’m not sure if Lovely Jane Agnes is the wife of Archibald or not, but I am thinking yes.  I also can’t help but wonder if “Lovely” was actually her name or commentary by the enumerator.

I believe that Alexander and Sarah may be the parents of Malcolm G McMillan, I just need to find some sort of documentation for it.

3.  I might have found Minerva Worsham’s father.  Again, I say *might* because I’m not really positive.  But it makes sense!  Just a few lines above Arch’d McMillon on the 1830 Maury County, Tennessee census is Daniel Worsham, transcribed as “Wortham” even though the “t” is actually a “long S”.  In the household are:

Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29: 1

Free White Persons – Males – 50 thru 59: 1

Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19: 1

Free White Persons – Females – 50 thru 59: 1

I am unable to find Daniel Worsham anywhere else.  In 1820 there were four:  one in Rockingham County, North Carolina; one in Amelia County, Virginia; one in St. Andrews Parish, Brunswick County, Virginia; and one in Baldwin County, Georgia. 

I really believe this is Minerva’s family, though.  I think because of the proximity of the families, plus this Daniel Worsham has a female the correct age to be Minerva.

I need to find more information on both of them before I can conclude this to be absolutely correct.  So, as usual, if anyone out there has anything that can help me please feel free to contact me!

Oh, and I am still on the lookout for Effee Jane Gilchrist’s family.  I think I may have narrowed it down to a 3-year-old Effa Gilchrist living in the Duncan and Effa Gilchrist household (they would have been her grandparents, I think) in 1850 in District 1, Decatur County, Tennessee.  The birth year is off by 5 years compared to the 1870 census, but the state of birth is the same and it’s the closest I have been able to find.  I would love some insight into this from someone who has researched the Duncan Gilchrist family.